The office environment says a lot about a company, and its design makes a lasting impression on visitors, employees and customers. So it's no surprise that it's becoming increasingly popular for companies to look for opportunities to style their office or commercial spaces so that it becomes an extension of their brand, to maximize their visual impact and create a more memorable impression for visitors.

So today we're sharing three tips for designing a branded environment that reflects your client's company, without going too far.

What are Branded Environments?

Branded environments are when the interior space is specifically designed to act as an extension of a company or organization's brand. For example, some companies may include their logo or company name throughout their office space, or make use of a particular color palette when choosing furniture and paint colors.

It can be a fantastic way to inject some personality into an office design, and can also be a source of pride for employees, offering an alternative to bland, faceless corporate design. However, branding a commercial space is a careful balancing act: too much branding can be visually overwhelming and may even put-off potential employees and visitors.

3 Opportunities to Incorporate Branding into New Commercial Spaces

1) Color

One easy way to brand your commercial space is through clever use of color. You may want to use a company or logo color as the main accent color throughout the space. However, it's important to consider how this use of color will affect the comfort of the people who will use the building every day.

For example, too many bright colors will be a distraction - so you may not want a whole wall in each room in a bright company color. There are other, more subtle ways to color a space though - such as blinds or window coverings, or your choice of furniture.

Additionally, you may want to focus color-based branding in high-impact areas, such as the main reception or lobby area. This will create a striking first impression for visitors and employees as they enter the building, without creating a work environment that may cause eye strain or visual discomfort.

2) Signage and Wayfinding

Signage offers another subtle way to brand a commercial space, by using the fonts used in the company logotype or specified in the company's brand guidelines.

For some companies, signage offers another chance to inject personality into the workplace - for example, with the naming of conference and meeting rooms on a specific theme.

Alternatively, you can incorporate visual clues such as directional signage or colored pathways to assist with wayfinding. For example, using colored floor tiles that contrast with your main flooring, to guide visitors from one area to another, such as key facilities like toilets or the main reception area.

3) Flooring

Your choice of flooring can be an innovative way to incorporate branding elements into a commercial space. Print dye technology, called digital dye infusion, makes it possible to create extremely accurate, high-definition patterns and color gradations, in very specific locations on the textile, no matter the size of the floor plan.

This makes it possible to choose commercial carpet or adapt a range into a custom color, so that it matches with a brand's color palette. This process of coloring existing product ranges to fit with your brand is fairly common. Alternatively, Milliken's proprietary digital dye infusion technology has the design capabilities to showcase company logos on your flooring, which has become an increasingly popular choice - and a striking way to personalize and brand your flooring.